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Does Child Sponsorship Make a Difference?
Child Sponsorship Works
For Caroline, her journey with Plan International started when two of her children signed up to be part of the sponsorship program. But today, the ripple effect has reached her whole community and across generations, all the way to her grandchildren.
Caroline’s daughters were once among the 1 million children Plan sponsors around the world. Caroline (centre) stands here with her granddaughters who still benefit from the ripple effects of that sponsorship today in their community.
Caroline cradles her youngest granddaughter, Trishia, in the cool morning air of Kilifi County, Kenya. Chickens scratch the ground under mango trees. One of her daughters, Elizabeth, prepares breakfast. These simple morning moments might seem modest, but they represent a transformation years in the making.
For Caroline’s family, the journey started when two of her children signed up to be part of the sponsorship program. But the ripple effect reached her entire community and across generations, all the way to her grandchildren today.
Caroline recounts the struggles faced by her five daughters – Gertrude, Agneta, Jacinta, Elizabeth and Brenda – who once carried paper bags instead of knapsacks to school.
“Before Child Sponsorship came to the community, my daughters couldn’t afford the school fees to take their exams. They stayed home and their grades suffered,” Caroline says. “Plan provided school bags, books and period products every month. They even paid school fees for all the girls, not just my daughters who were sponsored.” Plan also built classrooms, installed water taps and improved latrines at their school. “Before, we’d dig a shallow hole with three big stones around it,” Caroline explains. “Plan helped us think bigger.”
Today, as Caroline walks her grandchildren past the improved facilities, she sees the Plan Effect in action – permanent reminders of how one program’s impact can multiply across generations.
The Plan Effect is proof that sponsoring a child makes a world of difference for their entire community. Watch this video to learn how.
The Plan Effect: What is it?
When you sponsor a child, something remarkable begins to unfold – a journey that leads to what we call “the Plan Effect.” It starts with one child and their community, but it creates lasting change for generations.
So, how does it work? Children and their communities lead the way, identifying the positive changes they most want to see. Then we work together to make those transformations happen through activities like:
- Improving health centres
- Launching school meal programs
- Building clean water systems
- Helping families grow their savings so they can buy what they need most
“It’s never a one-size-fits-all approach,” explains Mary Anne Perta, senior manager of Child Sponsorship at Plan International Canada. “Plan staff work with families, community leaders and partners to identify region-specific challenges and co-create solutions. This could be things like birth registration, education programs, livestock training and so much more.
"Our sponsorship program also builds deep connections within the community that help draw even bigger opportunities, like large-scale projects to improve education and health care.
“These trusted relationships can help attract other grant and institutional funding that helps launch more health, economic-empowerment and emergency programs that benefit everyone in the community.”
That’s how Caroline got involved in a Plan-supported project that is working with 3,000 women to build climate resilience to climate change through sustainable seaweed farming, mangrove restoration and forest conservation. The roots set by sponsorship made Caroline’s community a great candidate to participate in the project. Now, Caroline and the conservation group she leads are working with Plan to restore the precious forests around her home.
Caroline is immensely proud that her three oldest daughters, Gertrude, Agneta and Jacinta, completed their schooling and have found work in the hospitality industry, with one running her own salon. Caroline also has big dreams for her two youngest daughters, Elizabeth and Brenda, who are finishing their final years of school. And, with all her grandchildren currently in school, the education Caroline fought so hard to provide for her children has created opportunities for the next generation.
Here’s why our sponsors give
“I realized I could make a significant difference in someone’s life, no matter how far away.”
–Bernadette Geronazzo, a Plan donor since the 1970s
Bernadette Geronazzo and Cody Slater, Calgary, Alberta
Bernadette Geronazzo’s journey as a sponsor began when she was 19. She saw a picture of a sponsored child on her friend’s fridge, and that moment changed everything.
Inspired, she has since sponsored 10 children through Plan all over the world. Her husband, Cody Slater, joined her in this mission after they were married. Together, they are passionate about giving back to children around the world, tackling issues like inequality between girls and boys and quality education and health care.
“Seeing the challenges these kids face only made me more determined to keep giving and give more through Gifts of Hope.”
–Ali Nabevieh, a Plan donor for almost 20 years
Ali Nabevieh, London, Ontario
For Ali Nabevieh, the decision to give is simple: If you can help, why wouldn’t you? He knows first-hand the challenges that children face when they lack access to education, health care or support during crises. In the early 2000s, he had the opportunity to meet one of the children he was sponsoring in Colombia.
Giving isn’t a hobby to him; it’s a lifelong commitment. It’s something he is passing down to his son, teaching him the value of helping make a difference in the world. It’s also inspired him to give more to Plan, by also supporting our annual Gifts of Hope campaign.
Child Sponsorship myths
MYTH: Sponsorship programs keep families dependent on aid and in poverty.
FACT: Sponsorship programs – and the additional projects they attract to communities – aim to break the cycle of poverty. The ultimate goal is to empower communities so they don’t need external support. The programs do this by providing families and communities with tools, training and resources that improve access to education, health care and job training.
As families’ needs are met over time, the goal is always for sponsorship to move on to other communities seeking support.
MYTH: Only the sponsored child benefits.
FACT: Sponsorship drives changes for the entire community – not just children in the sponsorship program. Sponsorship funds go toward projects that support improved access to education, health care and clean water for everyone. Established sponsorship programs can also attract other partnerships to the community. This is what we call “the Plan Effect.”
MYTH: Sponsors directly fund individual children.
FACT: Sponsors are connected to a specific child, but the funds raised are used to support community-wide programs. This ensures that everyone in the community benefits.
MYTH: Letters exchanged between sponsors and sponsored children are sometimes unsafe or culturally inappropriate.
FACT: Letters exchanged between sponsors and sponsored children are carefully reviewed by Plan staff to ensure child protection and cultural appropriateness. Letters foster authentic conversations that lead to connection and learning, while always safeguarding the child’s well-being. Our research shows that children who receive letters from sponsors feel more empowered, are more likely to belong to a social club and have higher levels of school attendance. For example, in Bangladesh, children who receive letters from their sponsors are 17% more likely to attend school regularly.
MYTH: The sponsorship relationship promotes a “savior complex” and perpetuates inequality.
FACT: Modern sponsorship programs like ours are designed to champion children’s rights, equality for girls and sustainable community-led change. Communities are an equal partner in developing programming.
Curious about the life-changing power of Child Sponsorship? Learn more in our Changing Lives report that highlights the program’s impact in Bangladesh, Ecuador and Uganda.
Here’s how you can champion a child. Learn how you can become part of the Plan Effect.
Meet a former sponsored child who grew up to be an accomplished academic and athlete. He credits his determined optimism, his family’s love and his Plan International sponsor for inspiring him to dream big.
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